Nightfall
Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or Capcom or any of its creations. This is solely a work of fan-made fiction. This is an old WeskerxClaire multi-chapter fic that I am currently rewriting/revising. So you will notice missing chapters in the reviews and such. I hope you all enjoy the new version! I still have all the old chapters on backup just in case lol. This story leans more towards the RE2 Remake setup also! Happy 2020 everyone! :o
Chapter 1: Coming Home
December 11th, 1997 - 06:48p.m.
The snow blanketed the land like a magical spell, enchanting and pure. The Arklay Mountains were mostly white, only shadowed by low clouds. Holiday lights reflected off the snow's pale canvas in a sea of glittering colors. The sky was dark, clouds rolling in with more flurries soon to come. Claire Redfield was glad to see the lights of Raccoon City coming in. The bus she took from Denver was cramped and stuffy. Her motorcycle was stored for the winter, and her brother couldn't leave work to come and get her. It wasn't uncommon for his workplace to be busy during the holidays.
Claire checked her wristwatch for the time. It was almost seven in the evening. Chris should be at the bus depot waiting for her. She was so ready to get off this bus! A small bag sat beside her, but her main suitcase was in the cargo hold of the transport vehicle. She was bundled up from the cold outside. Claire was an autumn person. She loved the colors and the mild weather. The winter was a little too much for her, but she did indeed enjoy the snow. It was the best part of winter.
She had her red hair down, something she normally didn't do. She wore a blue scarf, as well as a red jacket over her dark blue blouse. She also had on her favorite pair of jeans and a pair of brown boots.
The whining brakes came as a relief to Claire as the vehicle parked at the depot. Claire proceeded to get off with the other passengers and get her bags. It didn't take her long to find her older brother. His breath came out in puffs, and he wore a large black coat over his STARS uniform. He grinned from ear to ear, arms extending as he approached.
"Hey, dork!"
"Chris!" Claire exclaimed. She cut the distance between them just so she could wrap her arms around him.
He returned the hug. Claire caught a whiff of his cologne before he pulled away and took her bags for her. "How's my little sister?"
"Ugh, glad to be off that smelly bus! Longest three hours of my damn life."
Chris frowned. "Yeah, sorry I couldn't come pick you up. We've been so busy at work, I couldn't get away."
"It's fine. I know you guys get busy this time of the year."
The important thing now was that she was here, it was her holiday break, and she could spend time with her brother.
"So, how about we grab some grub before we go home?" Chris suggested.
Claire nodded, smiling. "Great idea, Bro. My protein bar didn't do shit!"
Chris laughed and took her to his parked truck, a dark green 1995 Dodge Ram extended cab 4x4. He unlocked it, putting her bags in the back seat and they climbed in. He drove to one of their favorite places to eat in Raccoon City; a small cafe called Emmy's Diner. It didn't look like much, but was one of the best places to eat in town.
The two sat down at a booth and scanned the menus while gabbing. Claire hadn't seen Chris in over two months, and was glad to be able to sit down and talk. They ordered their food and caught up while waiting. Claire didn't forget to mention about all the college finals and assignments she had just finished to be able to get back here. She could tell that Chris was tired from all the overtime, but he hid it as he talked with her.
"So how are all the guys? Oh, and how's Jill?" Claire asked, bouncing her eyebrows. She had met most of Chris's fellow STARS members when they were off of work and hanging out. The only one she had never met was the STARS Captain himself, Albert Wesker. Of course, she had heard all about him from not only Chris, but the others as well.
She got a ketchup package tossed at her head for her teasing.
"Everyone's good," Chris said, picking at his food. "Just getting ready for the holidays, really. It's hard to believe that Christmas is just two weeks away. I still need to do some gift shopping. How long will you be in again?"
"I have to go back January 10th," Claire stated. "So, do you have all the decorations up?"
Chris snorted with a wave of his hand. "You kidding? I saved all of that for you!"
It was her turn to toss a ketchup package at him. "Great, we can do it together."
"Can Jill come over and help?"
"No, Chris, she can't," Claire replied sarcastically. "Well duh, ya goof! It's your house and you know Jill and I get along great."
"Eat your food," Chris joked, trying to sound like a parent.
Claire raised a utensil from her plate. "I got a fork and I'm not afraid to use it."
They took their time eating, enjoying each other's company. Chris paid for the meal and they left afterwards. They drove home, pulling into Chris's driveway in Raccoon City suburbia. It wasn't much, a two bedroom, two bath house with a small fenced in backyard and cemented driveway connecting to a carport. Ironically, Jill only lived a couple blocks over. So did another STARS member, Edward, if she remembered correctly.
Chris took her bags to her room. Claire decided to wait to unpack, wanting to visit with Chris some more while she could. He would need to go to bed soon for his early shift tomorrow.
"I'm gonna go in with Jill so you can use the truck tomorrow," Chris said, tossing her his keys.
She caught them. "You sure? I probably won't go anywhere."
"Well, you never know. Also, the phones will most likely be busy at the station, so you may have to come by if you need me for something."
"Alright, but I'll be fine. I'm a grown woman, you know."
"Hey, you just turned nineteen, so don't give me that," Chris warned, pointing at her with a grin as he sat beside her on the sofa.
"Fiiiiine," Claire sighed, holding up her hands in defeat with a roll of her eyes. "So, does this mean I don't get any of "Chris's Awesome Breakfast"?"
"That's right. Unfortunately, we'll have to do that Saturday morning. Sorry, Sis."
"Just don't stress yourself out too much, okay?" Claire playfully kicked his knee. "You do this every year when you have to work all these hours. I worry about you sometimes."
"I'll be fine, don't you worry," Chris presented her a reassuring smile, the one she grew up with that made her feel that her brother could handle anything. "We'll slow down again after the holidays."
"I still don't think it's right for you to work these crazy hours," Claire grumbled. "I should have a good talk with that Chief Irons of yours."
Chris rubbed the light stubble on his jaw, and chuckled. "It isn't that asshole's call for our schedule. Captain Wesker's making us work all these hours."
"I thought you said he was lenient when you needed to take off to come get me?"
"Well, he usually is, but we are busy, and Wesker couldn't let me go because we were shorthanded today."
Claire folded her arms. "I still should have a talk with him."
"Uh, no you don't. He can be pretty scary."
Claire gave him a skeptical look. "Scary? C'mon, Chris. You're just saying that because he's your boss."
"Yeah, so don't embarrass me! It's taken me a long time to prove myself as one of the best to him! Don't screw it up!"
"Alright, alright. Sheesh! Really, you guys act as though he ranks higher than Irons."
"He pretty much does in our books," Chris said, glancing up at the clock. "The whole STARS team holds more respect for Wesker than Asshole Irons. He's a good leader."
Her brother stood up from the couch and ruffled her hair. She glared up at his goofy grin. "Well, I better get ready for bed. You know where everything's at. Remember, if you need something and can't get through by phone, you'll probably have to come by the RPD. Unless it's an emergency, then you know the line for that."
"Yes, Goob. Not a kid here."
"But you're still my little sister," he teased.
The siblings hugged and Chris left for bed. Claire decided it would be a good time to get unpacked and sit down on her bed to read a book. Chris would be gone until the evening tomorrow, so she would have the house to herself. Maybe she would use the truck to go pick up some Christmas decorations for them to get started on. Oh, and she would definitely need to get a tree.
Claire was relieved to finally be able to forget about college for awhile and enjoy some time with family and friends. Her small break for Thanksgiving as well as several tests kept Claire locked up at campus last month, and Chris didn't have the time anyway. Now, Claire had almost a month off to visit and relax in Raccoon City.
She smiled at the though as she unpacked. She looked outside the nearby window, more fluffy snowflakes falling from the dark sky, illuminated by the nearby street lamps.
She could feel it in her bones. This winter break was going to have what she was craving for. Something she needed, something she would never forget...
A/N: Here's the first revised chapter for Nightfall, ready to go! My first chapters are always shorter before they start getting, the diner Chris and Claire went to eat at was the same diner from the original Resident Evil 2 when Claire bumped into Leon and they get into the cop car! :) Remember, this story is slight-AU/canon divergence! Also remember this is Pre-RE1! So that means right here we are at the end of the year 1997. Resident Evil 1 happens in summer of 1998!